Orioles Q&A: Rill Talk ... Kevin Gausman

This week, I caught up with Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman, who turned in two of the best starts of his career in his current stint with the club. We talked about performing so well against top teams, how being in the bullpen last year helped, his relationship with Caleb Joseph, superstitions, and more.

Q: You get called up last weekend and turn in your best start of your career against Oakland. How exciting was it for you to come up and pitch that well?

KEVIN GAUSMAN: Any time you pitch well, it's fun and you're excited. But more than anything, it was good to get deep in the game. That was the first time I've gone seven innings all year. It was good and that's one of the things you get positive feedback about. You find things out about yourself, like in the sixth I was having trouble and I kind of went to more of my reliever mentality when I came out of the bullpen last year. I needed a big strikeout to [Josh] Donaldson, and then I ended up striking out [Brandon] Moss. It was good for me to kind of go through that.

Q: A lot of times in the past starters would begin in the bullpen early in their career. Are you glad you were able to do that last year?

KG: Yeah, definitely. I always tell people I feel like I learned how to pitch at this level coming out of the bullpen. The margin for error is so small there. When you're starting, I think you can get a little bit lackadaisical the first couple innings. It might take you a little bit to find your way through a game. But as a reliever, you've got to be ready to go once you get in there. Especially when guys are on base later in the game and you're only up one run. That's when everything's got to be the best it can be.

Q: Has this been a little bit of a tough year for you after being sick early in the year and then coming up to the majors for one start before going back down again prior to this current stint?

KG: I think the thing that kind of messed me up was getting pneumonia. That sucked and I lost weight and it kind of took me a little while to get back to where I was before. I feel like I'm just now getting back there right now and I feel good and healthy and excited for my opportunity.

Q: Was it a big confidence-builder to come up to the majors this time and not only pitch well, but to do it against one of the best teams in the league in the Athletics?

KG: Yeah, definitely. I think more than anything, like I said, is just getting deep into the game. Pitching well against a team that's playing really good baseball right now definitely gets your confidence going and gets it excited for the next team you face.

Q: Has it been nice to be up with the Orioles for longer this time and get more than just one start?

KG: Definitely. Any time you get another opportunity to go out there and pitch you feel like they have confidence in you and you get that confidence going through yourself too.

Q: How much does it help to have a catcher that is familiar with you? You've worked with Caleb Joseph in the minors and he's now caught you twice in the majors.

KG:Nick [Hundley] has never caught me so I think that definitely played into it. Me and Caleb have kind of always had a good connection. We rarely shake off each other and even down in Norfolk we worked pretty well together. It just kind of made sense and he did a great job back there. He likes to throw fastballs and I like to throw fastballs, so we just kind of keep going in and out and make it work.

Q: You've been a superstitious guy your whole baseball career. Are you still that way and do you have any new superstitions?

KG: Yeah, of course. I found out the other day that I don't like watching the game, I just kind of zone out and look around the dugout and the floor and stuff. I'm definitely superstitious, especially if I'm pitching well. Whatever I've been doing up to that point, I'll keep doing it.

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